


Defector

by oftypewritersandribbons



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Captain America (Movies)
Genre: BAMF Melinda May, Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Spoilers for AoS Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-03
Updated: 2014-10-03
Packaged: 2018-02-19 18:04:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2397755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oftypewritersandribbons/pseuds/oftypewritersandribbons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A man with no name, only a designation and a mission, walks into SHIELD. When presented with a ghost, a man only talked about in hushed whispers by the intelligence community, what is the newly reformed SHIELD to do?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Defector

**Author's Note:**

> So after watching the first couple episodes of the new season I sort of wanted to have the AoS team interact with Bucky but not in the typical, Bucky is rehabilitated and running missions with the team way. Anyway, this word vomit is what happened.

* * *

“The old isms were dead, the contest between Communism and capitalism had ended in a wet whimper. Its rhetoric had fled underground into the secret chambers of the grey men, who were still dancing away long after the music had ended."

\-- John le Carré, The Russia House

* * *

 

Slender, deft fingers flew across the keyboard in a flurry of furious activity as Skye attempted to lose herself in the relatively humdrum activity of code writing. Suddenly Skye’s hands stilled, the cursor blinking mockingly at her, a sudden wave of restlessness washing over her. The one time hacker was itching to leave the lab and get into one of the interrogation rooms.

 

They’d had a walk-in. A HYDRA agent had remanded himself into SHIELD’s custody. Rumours were flying about the labs, the various technicians tittering behind clipboards, for once their attention diverted away from the broken Fitz, and instead focused on the possible defector they now harboured.

 

Skye was sceptical. You didn’t walk away from HYDRA – Ward was proof enough of that.  They were zealots, prepared to die for the cause no matter how misguided their ideology was. No matter how many friends they burnt, no matter how much wanton destruction they left in their wake. At the thought of her former S.O. Skye winced, the giant hole he had ripped through the team was still torn and frayed at the edges – a mess of bloody sutures and bandages. They had barely survived, brandished as terrorists and their actions labelled treasonous every agent was disavowed. They had gone dark.

 

“You’re needed,” Trip’s voice broke through Skye’s reverie.

Jolting up upright Skye slapped the lid of her laptop shut before nodding her head. Rising from her seat the field agent followed her colleague out of the lab. Stuffing her hands into her pockets Skye fell into step with Trip, his back ramrod straight as he escorted her into the bowls of the facility. Skye couldn’t fail but notice her friends sudden lack of easy going humour, she knew that having a live HYDRA agent was a big deal, but they’d been housing Ward for the past few months, they were prepared. They knew what to expect, they knew how to keep the beast caged.

 

“May’s waiting for you in the briefing room.” Trip sighed, “Just watch her back ok?”

“Yeah, fine. But what’s going on?” Skye asked somewhat breathlessly, eyes wide as she demanded answers of her friend.

“It’s need to know – and I guess I don’t…” Trip shrugged. “Just be careful in there is all.”

“Always,” Skye nodded reassuringly, offering a half smile before pushing against the heavy steel door.

 

Upon entering the ante room Melinda thrust a tablet into Skye’s hands, the older woman uncharacteristically on edge as she paced back and forth, every so often her gaze sliding towards the door that hid the HYDRA operative.

“All we need is to get a positive ID out of the guy. If we figure out what he wants great. But we’re about to walk into an extremely volatile situation Skye, so I need you to follow my lead. If I tell you to get out, you get out. You understand?”

“Ok.” Skye nodded slowly, somewhat reticent to leave May behind. “Who’s behind the glass?”

“A ghost.” Melinda answered grimly before motioning Skye to follow her.

Skye frowned, she wasn’t comfortable walking into a situation completely blind but she trusted Melinda. She trusted her S.O.

 

Ducking through the doorway Skye’s eyes instantly went to the opaque glass wall; behind it the mysterious HYDRA asset she knew so little about. Memories of her time spent with Ward suddenly surged forward, his taunting, twisted face crowding her vision and for a second she could feel the panic beginning to set in. Clenching her left hand into a fist, the sharp pain of her nails digging into her palm going some way to pull her back to the present. Swiping at the tablet she pulled up a file, half the sentences that weren’t in Russian were redacted. Skye’s frown deepened.

 

Walking towards the glass Melinda motioned for Skye to reveal their presence to the detainee. With a small nod Skye’s fingers sailed across the tablet, the frosted glass quickly turning transparent. Almost immediately Skye’s gaze fell on the shackled man. His hair was wild, unkempt, clearly personal hygiene had dropped down his list of priorities. His shoulders were hunched forwards, his head bowed low as he sat utterly still. Both arms were chained to the floor, hands bound together in front of him. Clearly whoever had secured him was not taking chances, his legs were hobbled, more chains running from his limbs and trunk. A dirty hoodie covered his frame, worn jeans encased his legs and rather oddly a pair of knitted gloves clothed his bare hands.

“What’s your name?” May asked softly, her brown eyes hard as she surveyed the man opposite her with cool disdain.

“I…” the man paused, his eyes mad with a mixture of fear, rage and confusion as they darted wildly about the room. His voice was hoarse, from lack of use Skye mused. “They called me the American.”

“The American?” May questioned, her eyebrow arching as she attempted to hide her flutter of recognition. Something stirred in Melinda’s gut, the instinct to run – to back the hell off – clamouring for attention. Doing her best to shake the errant thoughts Melinda squared her shoulders. “I’ll ask you again – what is your name?”

“No name.” The man snarled, as if some primordial sound had been pulled from the depths of his chest.  His blue eyes were wide as he sought to meet Melinda’s gaze – the caged animal reared its head, metaphorical bars rattled. “Only a designation.”

“What is your designation?” Melinda prodded coolly, her hands clasped tightly behind her back, knuckles white as she forced her body to obey and not betray her fear. The slight quiver in her temple the only indicator of her unease.

“Solider…” the man spat out.  “They called me the Winter Soldier.”

Skye blanched, unconsciously stepping closer to May, all thoughts of abandoning her S.O if she asked her to flying from Skye’s head.

“If I wanted you dead you would be already, tell your little guard dog to settle down.” The man muttered calmly, his blue eyes suddenly still as he turned his gaze to Skye.

 

There was a quiet detachment present in his stare now; he was clearly assessing their capabilities. Apparently he thought the threat Skye posed him was negligible judging by the flicker of a sneer that tugged at his lip. But no sooner had Skye seen it and it was ferreted away. His face was once more impassive, only his eyes spoke a different story now. It was a look she occasionally glanced in the mirror, it was a look May and Coulson rarely let slip. It was the stare of someone haunted, hounded by a past that was stained a violent red.

“Then what do you want?” May questioned, ignoring the assassin’s jibe.

“I want HYDRA on a plate.” The man replied softly as he worked at the cuffs of his gloves. One sleek silver hand was suddenly revealed and Skye supressed a shudder. There was a brutal beauty to his hand, and undoubtedly the rest of the arm, FitzSimmons – _Fitz_ – would love to look at something that married biology and technology so effortlessly.

“Why turn against your masters?” Skye suddenly questioned, barely containing the urge to look over at May for reassurance.

“I pulled him out of the river.” The man answered, his flesh and blood hand caressing his metal one. Each joint and finger was meticulously examined as he continued to stare into his lap. His attention seemingly drifting way from the integration the SHIELD agents were conducting to an internal conflict perfectly expressed by the sudden appearance of a frown and his warring eyebrows.  

“Pulled who out of the river?” May scowled, annoyed the thread to their conversation was lost. “Who did you save?”

 

The man remained silent as he bowed his head, a shuddering breath escaping his lungs as he struggled to regain his train of thought. Fragments of what he supposed might have been memories of a long passed life flashed before him. His head was filled with images and stories he had no recollection of living.

Finally his head snapped upwards, his blue eyes full of watery intensity. “He wasn’t my mission. He was my friend. The man on the bridge.”

Melinda stepped closer to the glass, crouching down so she was eye level with the assassin. “What has this got to do with HYDRA?”

“Everything.” The Winter Soldier finally declared, the steel returning to his voice. “All you need to know is that I want HYDRA destroyed – the enemy of enemy is my friend after all. You need me.”

“We don’t…”

“Romanova released every dirty secret SHIELD ever had onto the Internet, the world thinks you’re in bed with HYDRA. Your forces are depleted. You operate under covert directives now. You’re all wanted fugitives. I’d say you could use all the help you can get.” The man shrugged, waiting for May to counter.

“Your file’s as thick as my arm. The number of kills attributed to you name reach into double figures and you had a very public street fight with Captain America. Why shouldn’t we just hand you over to the government? It would save us a lot of hassle.” Melinda bit back, her head cocked to one side as she levelled a flinty stare.

“I was programmed with certain information – whereabouts of HYDRA bases, protocol and directive. I’m your way in.” The assassin met May’s gaze with equal determination – neither of them willing to back down.

“Programmed…” Skye muttered before barging past May, her hands pressed against the glass. “What did they do to you?”

The Winter Soldier laughed; it was hollow and empty, long out of use. “HYDRA took a scared man, gave him a metal arm and forged him into a weapon. I can’t tell you what they did to me, because I have no idea who I am. I was wiped clean and they’d start over – their very own tabula rasa”

“Not even your name?” Skye questioned, a sense of disgust at what they had done to him flooding through her body.

“The man, he called me Bucky.”

“Who was he, the man from the bridge?” The hacker gently pushed.

“The man with the shield – Captain America.” The assassin shuddered, his fingers twisting together as he screwed his eyes shut. More images, disjointed and out of context fluttering through his minds eye. He half expected Pierce to materialise over his shoulder – to demand that his memories be removed – the reflex to open his mouth for the bite plate was overwhelming.

“He called you Bucky?” Skye mused, her fingers flying across her tablet before a disbelieving laugh escaped her chest.

“Skye…” Melinda’s warning tone sounded from behind her.

The hacker looked back to her S.O., May clearly wanted her to bite her tongue. But Skye still had issues with authority.

“James Buchannan Barnes,” Skye softly intoned as she started at the old black and white photo. “Born March 20, 1916.”

“Does freely offering that piece of information mark the beginning of a beautiful working relationship doll?” The man questioned, the strange vernacular rolling from between his lips an uneasy reminder of just how much he couldn’t remember. Of how much they’d made him forget.

“We’ll need to have our people look over your arm.” Melinda interrupted, the urge to beat Skye over the head gradually dissipating. “The Director will be informed. We’ll return shortly”

Gesturing for Skye to follow her both women exited the room. The Winter Solider, or rather James Barnes, was left alone with the ghosts of his memories and the promise of HYDRA’s demise.

 

**Author's Note:**

> As the States entered the war in '41 I tired to place Bucky's birthday so he was 25/26 when he was first deployed. 26/27 when he "died".


End file.
